Why many children are dying of cancer
March 2, 2021
Written by ROSE MUGENA
At the Uganda Cancer Institute, at least 5,000 cancer cases in children are treated every year and worldwide 400,000 cases are recorded.
However, only 20 per cent of children diagnosed with cancer survive – that is, if they complete their entire treatment regime from early diagnosis to supportive care. The low survival rate is attributed largely to the high recurrence of these cancers brought on by mismanagement of treatments by caregivers.
Speaking at the official commissioning of Covid-19 isolation rooms at Bless the Child Foundation in Kikoni, Makerere, Ann Akullo, a pediatric oncologist, said cancers are one of the leading causes of premature deaths in children in the country yet they are curable if detected early.